After the breach, the Army Corps studied how much it would cost to fix the levee, determining “the cost of repairs were greater than the economic benefits of the project being done over time,” said John Osterhage, chief of emergency operations for the corps’ St. Louis District. “It wouldn’t be a viable project.”

The total cost to repair the breach, Osterhage said, is “in the millions of dollars.” One estimate cited in court papers placed the number at $16.6 million.

The situation at Dogtooth Bend has left the residents and farmers of the peninsula restless, wondering if this is the new reality.

Chicago Tribune